Forum:The Evil Dr. F's Crystal Ball
The Evil Dr. F would like to go on the record predicting that the patch will extend everyone's level cap to 69. to clarify, some believe the patch will add eight levels to your cap so what 58 for no dlcs and 69 if you have dlc4? i believe that would be just too much work for the devs and i dont think its what is being described. has anyone heard level 58 for the cap? i have not. please discuss. 10:44, September 24, 2010 (UTC) : It is implicitly suggested that the patch will raise your level cap by 8, so 58 for no DLCs and 69 if you have DLC3. Raising the cap to 69 for everyone would render DLC3's 61 pointless. http://www.giantbomb.com/randy-pitchford-talks-borderlands-dlc/17-3225/ 2:22-3:28 / http://www.gametrailers.com/video/new-content-borderlands-claptraps/704365 1:55-2:12 10:55, September 24, 2010 (UTC) : That's all I've been seeing on the GBX forums. No DLC 3 = 58. DLC 3 = 69. And considering there are gearbox employees patrolling who are pretty good about answering questions/correcting false info (AdamF specfically). Between that, and they do want people to have a reason to actually buy DLC3 while not leaving them in the dark entirely. Pearlescent guns and 11 more levels is a pretty good motivator to me. NOhara24 11:09, September 24, 2010 (UTC) i never heard him say 58. im sure they are all over this in the forums. NOhara can you get me a link of adamf or ennui stating two separate level caps. thank you. 11:44, September 24, 2010 (UTC) :My assumption is the same. I just can't see where the "58" is coming from. It looks to me like a game-wide rebalance, possibly including a third playthrough. As far as I can see everyone will be in a 69 position... -- WarBlade 22:53, September 24, 2010 (UTC) : :@WarBlade & Dr.F, a quick google search yielded this destructoid article, this kotaku article and this giantbomb article. The last of which saying specifically "Players that don't have that third DLC release will be able to take it up to level 58." I didn't feel like scowering the forums, but considering AdamF and Ennui haven't come out and said "everyone else is wrong" as far as the level cap goes (Like they did with the skill points from when Legendrew cracked the patch files, correcting everyone from 10 to 2.) I'm pretty sure they're gonna run 2 different level caps. NOhara24 16:46, September 25, 2010 (UTC) brad's and ben's articles were already linked by nagy (did you read) (refering to an unpublished conversation on x-fire,Dr. F's bad). i submit to you that brad and ben are misinformed members of the {press?} who repeat popular opinion and do not suffer the need for a retraction because its essentially impossible to sue a blog. stephen's does not say 58. the correction of 10 to 2 was diversionary. dlc4 = 10 skills points because you will need to have the patch to play the dlc (having it both ways). marketing scheme to enhance perceived value of a (free) patch required to play the game online. thank you for reminding me that although adamf and ennui work for gearbox they are also secretly being paid to say what gearbox wants them to say ;0) 23:10, September 25, 2010 (UTC) Well since you're attacking my sources on the grounds of that they're unreliable...which unless you can prove their track record of unreliability, has no grounds. (Remember, 100% of gaming blogs/websites got the 10 to 2 skill points wrong, so that "doesn't count".) But your assumption saying that it would be too much work for the devs is strange to me. Considering they're already rebalancing the entire game, I don't think it would be any extra work, due to fact that all of the work that needed to be done at level 58 was completed long ago (When knoxx came out.) Think about it, all of the enemies in the game are included in general knoxx as well (save zombies, but they're too easy as it is) so to institute a cap at level 58 would be zero real work,considering most of the enemies and all of the weapons are already programmed to go to level 58(And the other 11 levels come straight from the General Knoxx DLC). And, since you're pointing out marketing tactics, if they did bump all player's caps to level 69, what would be the pull to buy DLC3? I mean yes, it's the only one with pearl guns, but that would only attract the most hardcore players (Like the denizens of this wiki.) While Gearbox is good to it's consumers, I don't think there's ANY company that would say "Well, you don't have to buy it if you don't want to, because we're giving it to you anyway." And again, although AdamF and Ennui are under the influence of "the box". They still haven't come out and corrected everyone, which they have done once before and have always been good at answering questions, so it's very unlike them. NOhara24 15:13, September 26, 2010 (UTC) Ennui is no longer employed by Gearbox. Willp602 17:01, September 26, 2010 (UTC) ty will. nohara i am not attacking your source(s) as unreliable, im stating they have no cred for reliability. by that i mean, to me, they are not liars, they are nobody at all. less than UCs on the wiki. just guys with a fancy blog. secondly i did not say the rebalance would be more work. i said its less work to level everybody to 69 than to add 8 levels with a patch. theyve proven they can add levels with an exclusive content (dlc3), i just dont think they will do the same with a free patch. knoxx has a lot to offer besides 11 levels and i think gearbox has milked the currently available dlcs dry (and then some) and is well aware of it. whats the pull? what pull is there now to miss later? as for giving it away, isnt that what randal wants us to believe he is doing? does he not keep pushing the "free" patch angle? with no cash to lose and a long break (from pandora anyway) coming up i think dlc4 and GotY are working capital generators for the support of Duke Nukem Forever. and lets just hope that title does not destroy gearbox like it has every previous "team" which raised his flag. 21:46, September 26, 2010 (UTC) i have been wrong before, but i didnt think so then either I didn't even think about that. DN Forever is a nuclear tar baby. It was actually pretty ballsy to even pick it up.GT: ConceitedJarrad XBOX360 22:03, September 26, 2010 (UTC) @Dr. F,We'll have to see when it comes out then, there's no point in arguing now. I'll throw a few internets your way if you end up being right. DN forever is a curse. It's got quite a reputation behind it. It's killed every other studio that's picked it up. NOhara24 22:37, September 26, 2010 (UTC) :NOhara24 i most sincerely apologize for not realizing we were arguing. see, ive been busy with this dispute resolution thing you may have heard about so nothing short of threats to the integrity of my computer and disparaging commentary on the proclivities of my auntie janie even show up on my argumeter. please forgive me. 1757 local 26SEP10 : :Dr. F, sorry, I didn't mean arguing, "debating" would have been better. We iz sivull folk. NOhara24 23:59, September 26, 2010 (UTC) So after reading this discussion, it appears that everyone here assumes the only reasons someone would buy Knoxx are because of level cap increase and maybe pearlescents. Did it ever occur to you people that maybe some might buy it because, oh, I don't know, it's fun, it has new story, and provides more gameplay? I feel very sad for anyone who would decide not to buy Knoxx anymore just because they dropped the level increase from it. Laserrobotics (talk) 03:09, September 27, 2010 (UTC) :ty laserro. excellent point. buy knoxx to play knoxx, patch the game because you have to (to play online anyway). 03:24, September 27, 2010 (UTC) :The reason to end all reasons for buying Knoxx: "Smokin' Jesus Titties Cinnamon!" If there were nothing in the third DLC but Scooter dropping that bomb, it would still be worth it. The idea of a boisterous redneck shouting out four random things that he likes as an exclamation of satisfaction really tickles the hell out of me, especially when they're as incompatible as these four. :Incidentally, I'm on the +8 side of the speculation. There are valid points on both sides, but I simply don't think that they'll hand out a freebie like that. It'll be interesting to see how they'll balance the third playthrough, now, especially with Claptrap's New Robot Revolution - if the increase is +8, then people without Knoxx won't be able to handle an overleveled Claptrap DLC, but maybe they'll balance it above Knoxx anyway, and players will essentially have to have Knoxx to be able to handle Claptrap in the last PT. - FatDragon ::On that point, I don't think they would make it necessary to have Knoxx to beat Claptrap. It would be easy enough to dynamically level Claptrap, seeing as they did it with Ned(albeit a bit clunkily). I don't know which way I would rather have them go though, +8 or 69. Laserrobotics (talk) 21:52, September 27, 2010 (UTC) It's not a matter of people's opinions and how much we value a level cap increase in a DLC. Randy Pitchford specifically says, "We know that some people made a purchase decision to buy General Knoxx because of the 11 levels, so ... that was a big deal; so because we know people made that purchase decision, we didn't wait to counter it(?) by saying now we're giving away the same value for free". In a way, Gearbox doesn't care if you "decide not to buy Knoxx anymore just because they dropped the level increase from it". It is a valid assumption to make that the majority of players are naturally interested in a level cap - no point assuming what people's motivations might be if Knoxx didn't have a level cap, because it does. 03:42, September 27, 2010 (UTC) i concede the point that it is gbx public expression that the intent is to raise 8 levels only. i just dont think they can/will. the .kexts (for lack of a better term) to raise levels were added in knoxx dlc not patch. the trick is to raise the base cap w/o mucking up the knoxx levels. BUT no one has touched the base cap code in a year. heck the guys that worked on that were probably downsized or outsourced (secretly im hoping they were consigned to the duke vault and are sequestered there). i think they will find it easier to mod the knoxx files to 19 and include them in the free-for-all patch. they should really just ask sofa and storm how to do it, IMO. and i just wanted to resurrect this tired old thread to see who is listening. 1733 local 21OCT10 Feeling your powers to be irrelevant of late? Don't be so insecure, Doc. We like you either way. :)GT: ConceitedJarrad XBOX360 22:45, October 21, 2010 (UTC) I registered just to post and hopefully clear things up about the balancing patch. According to Joystiq and Shacknews, who talked to Gearbox at a PAX panel a ages ago, the level cap will be raisied to 69 for EVERYONE. "The free patch for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 will raise the level cap to the hilarious number of 69 and, in the words of Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford, 'rebalance the original game around the level cap.'" He said, "rebalance the original game around the level cap" meaning evening non-DLC buyers will get the level increase and the balancing to go along with it. If that's not proof enough, he goes on further to say, "The level cap was previously raised to 61 in the paid downloadable content 'The Secret Armory of General Knoxx,' a move Pitchford explained Gearbox did not want to repeat otherwise 'you'd have to buy every previous DLC' for the new cap and rebalancing." He says he doesn't want it to be DLC-exclusive. Everyone will get it. I don't know why people think non-DLCers will only be raied to 58. Ariamezzo 23:40, October 21, 2010 (UTC) :the +8 question was answered by adamf at gbx forums linked above. i just dont think the mouthpiece (adamf) knows what is communing coming out of the cubicle farm in the end. of course they could be outsourcing the patch because they are busy with duke, although that thought worries me no end. 00:21, October 22, 2010 (UTC) : :first link i can find mentions 58 and 69 level caps. adamf is a gbx employee http://gbxforums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=111831 They call me Hellz Lips 00:33, October 22, 2010 (UTC) : :Aw. I didn't see that. I think it'd be best if they just let everyone reach level 69, but I guess that isn't the case. I can only hope that since he's with marketing, he made a mistake which has happened with various game studio marketers in the past. I'm not too confident anymore, though. Ariamezzo 00:51, October 22, 2010 (UTC) : :I don't want that. If people want those 11 extra levels, they can drop the paltry ten bucks for Knoxx like almost everyone else did. Same goes with Pearls.GT: ConceitedJarrad XBOX360 01:17, October 22, 2010 (UTC) Gods help me, I agree with Jarrad. I don't think that it would be all that much a strech for other players to have kicked in an extra ten bucks and waited the hour+ to download the DLC and get the same level cap as I (and everyone else that bought Knoxx) have received. From what I've managed to gather, the endgame won't be SET to level 69, it will SCALE to level 69. So, if you only get to level 58, it will match your level there. Made it to 69? Still matchin' ya. There's my $0.02. MisterJoshua 21:47, October 22, 2010 (UTC) "Gods help me, I agree with Jarrad." Well done, Mr. J. This is your first step in a long and wonderful journey toward relevancy. :)GT: ConceitedJarrad XBOX360 03:29, October 23, 2010 (UTC)